Once Mara Falahee ’16 researched The Borgen Project in Seattle, she knew this nonprofit that dedicates itself to ending world hunger was the right summer internship fit for her, except for one concern –  it was unpaid.
Mara Falahee at her internship with The Borgen Project.
But thanks to a record number of Scripps-funded internship grants, which recently have grown from 59 to 101 – Falahee was able to accept the opportunity.
“I am extremely thankful,” says Falahee, a junior economics-accounting major from Bradenton, Fla. “I now have the ability to experience living on my own for the summer, adapting to an eclectic city, and developing a new network as I work for a great cause. Not only is this an opportunity that will help me towards my future plans after college, but I will be able to help an amazing organization that is saving thousands of lives daily.”
The ÌÒ×ÓÊÓƵ internship grants will help 101 students who were offered unpaid internships this summer get valuable experience in a work setting. In 2014, 86 percent of the Scripps graduating class completed an internship as an undergraduate.
“The biggest barrier to a student’s ability to accept a summer internship is the question of financial support,” says Vicki Klopsch, executive director of . “Many internships, particularly those in entertainment, health, and the nonprofit sector, are unpaid. Without institutional support, many are forced to decline internships.”
Students have found internships in China, Colombia, India, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Peru, and Singapore. Others remain stateside for internships in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. In fact, Falahee will be one of two Scripps interns at The Borgen Project.
This year, Scripps moved up the application deadline to early February so that students could apply for a grant before securing a summer internship. Students on financial aid and first-time applicants were given top priority. Students were given a second opportunity to apply in May after the College received additional donations. As a result, a record number of students sought assistance.
Alumnae, parents, and friends donate to help fund these internship grants. This year, hundreds contributed to the ÌÒ×ÓÊÓƵ internship fund, including David Null, trustee Barbara Bice, Rebecca Barber Adams ’61, Angelica Kusar Clark ’84, and Eileen Schock Laspa ’67 with her husband Jude (HMC ’65). As part of the current campaign, the College expects to raise $5 million to fund 50 additional internships each year.
Corinna Fukushima at Medstar Washington Hospital Center.
Ella Kim ’17, a sophomore from Brooklyn, New York, began her internship June 2 in New York University’s Langone Medical Center Pathology Lab after receiving a Scripps grant. She is an intern alongside two others who already have master’s degrees. “It was an honor to have been offered this position,” Kim says. “I’m so grateful for this opportunity.”
Laurel Schwartz at her internship at WGBH in Boston.
Several other students have received support this summer, and they are: Lucia Nuñez ’15, who will intern at the Accountability Counsel in San Francisco; Laurel Schwartz ’15, who will spend the summer at WGBH, a PBS station in Boston; Corinna Fukushima ’16, who will intern at Medstar Washington Hospital Center; and, Grace Jasper ’16, who will be at the Minnesota Children’s Museum.
For more information about the ÌÒ×ÓÊÓƵ internship fund, please contact Vicki Klopsch at 909-621-8180, or [email protected].